Disobedient
Elizabeth Fremantle brings the story of Italian artist Artemisia Gentileschi to life in Disobedient. Gentileschi is arguably the most famous female painter to work during the Italian Baroque period (1600 to 1700) and was known for her masterful rendering of allegorical themes. Though blessed with immense talent, her life was a struggle; the most tumultuous episode of her life is dramatized in Disobedient. Artemisia’s rape by a trusted mentor and fellow artist ruined her reputation in Rome, and while the man was eventually convicted, Artemisia had to marry and relocate to Florence to avoid the scandal. It was in Florence where she enjoyed a successful career and was patronized by the powerful Medici family. As a result of her success and talent, Artemisia would become the first woman admitted to the prestigious Academia d’Arte.
Elizabeth Fremantle is an accomplished author of several novels, but these have been set in England during the 16th and 17th centuries. Disobedient is her first foray into a European country beyond British shores. Fremantle excels at providing rich historical detail while keeping up the pace of her narrative. The choices Artemisia is faced with form the crux of the novel, and Fremantle does an excellent job of capturing the consequences of Artemisia’s actions. Italian women were expected to live conventional, if not completely conservative lives: marry, have children, and maintain the household. But Artemisia’s artistic talent cannot be ignored, and ultimately, it is rather amazing that she balanced a thriving art career with the demands of being a wife and mother. Disobedient is a tale of a brilliant woman who fought to assert her rights, was denied multiple times, but eventually triumphed.
